1. Visual Language, Discourse Communities, and the Inherently Social Nature of Conventions 2. What's Conventional, What's Not: A Perceptual and Rhetorical Tour 3. The Origins and Authority of Visual Language: Factors That Shape and Transform Conventions 4. The Mutability of Conventions: Emergence, Evolution, Decline, Revival 5. The Grip of Conventions: How It Develops and Its Consequences for Readers, Designers, and Researchers 6. The Slipperiness of Conventions: Breakdowns, Misdirection, and Other Problems of Interpretation

1. Visual Language, Discourse Communities, and the Inherently Social Nature of Conventions 2. What's Conventional, What's Not: A Perceptual and Rhetorical Tour 3. The Origins and Authority of Visual Language: Factors That Shape and Transform Conventions 4. The Mutability of Conventions: Emergence, Evolution, Decline, Revival 5. The Grip of Conventions: How It Develops and Its Consequences for Readers, Designers, and Researchers 6. The Slipperiness of Conventions: Breakdowns, Misdirection, and Other Problems of Interpretation